Serie A Milan City rivals agree to have joint stadium

Inter Milan and AC Milan – the two Serie A rivals – till date have Milan the only common factor between them. Now, the intra-city rivals have agreed to demolish their respective home stadia and jointly construct a common structure.

The new San Siro stadium, according a report by La Repubblica, will be ready by 2023. The new common structure would come up for a cost of € 600 million (US$ 680 million). The plan, according to the publication, will spell the end of the traditional homes of the two Serie A giants.

The clubs, which will contribute jointly towards the construction and operations costs for the San Siro stadium are also expecting € 25 million ($28.3 million) from the naming rights. The revenue will also be allocated to right off the construction and maintenance costs.

While the AC Milan and the local council have approved the project, a formal nod from Inter Milan is expected sometime soon, states the report.

The common 60,000-seat San Siro stadium, will also have 5,000-seater arena for concerts and other events, along with a new shopping complex in the area surrounding the stadium.

The two Milan-based clubs have reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding in November last year. Initially they had agreed to explore two options – modernising the San Siro or building the new stadium.

The clubs want smaller, modern venue to improve the match-day experience for fans. “We envisage a smaller capacity because the average attendance of the two clubs is 60,000,” Inter chief executive Alessandro Antonello told reporters last month. “What matters is the experience for the fans, it might be a smaller stadium but an excellent one.”

“We’ll have the most beautiful stadium in the world,” added AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni, speaking alongside Antonello. “We want Milan to have a great stadium and make Milan the capital of football. Perhaps a new stadium would be easier, but there are also large-scale renovations like Anfield.”

Both teams have played at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, commonly known as the San Siro, for more than half a century, with AC Milan having had the venue as their home since 1926, and their city rivals Inter since 1947.

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